Massachusetts Food Banks Face Devastating $3.3 Million Cut
$3.3 million is now on the chopping block for food banks in Massachusetts.
The Greater Boston Food Bank just learned about the federal cuts from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Greater Boston Food Bank CEO Catherine D'Amato says she's scrambling to figure out how to fill the new gaps after learning 122,000 cases of food will no longer be delivered here.
'Which that means, orders that have been in the cue that are being expected have been canceled,' said D'Amato.
D'Amato says the food bank relies on the USDA for 17% of its food, especially for the fresh produce, dairy, and poultry.
'It's a significant amount, it's the first piece of information that we've gotten in terms of impact, so if that food's not there then families don't have access,' said D'Amato.
The USDA sent the following statement in response to Boston 25 News:
'There has been no pause in regular TEFAP purchases. The funding that was designated from CCC has been repurposed. The Biden Administration created unsustainable programming and expectations using the Commodity Credit Corporation. Regardless, USDA continues to purchase food for The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), with over $166 million spent in FY 2025 to date for program requirements. USDA also is using Section 32 purchases to support TEFAP, purchasing over $300 million in various poultry, fish, fruits, vegetables, and tree nuts. USDA recently approved an additional $261 million in Section 32 purchases to provide even more fruits, vegetables, and tree nuts to TEFAP. "
'The products that we know that have been cut include both some of those products still from the COVID-era funding and from other USDA programs,' said D'Amato.
D'Amato says pre-pandemic, 1 in 8 people relied on a food pantry in Massachusetts.
Since COVID, 1 in 3 people are food insecure in the state, and that rate remains the same today.
'At a time when there is rising food insecurity in this state, it's really concerning to see these cuts at the federal level,' said Ashley Randle, commissioner of the MA Department of Agricultural Resources.
'Hungry people need to be fed, everyone has a right to food, whether it's a USDA commodity, a state commodity, purchased or donated, that's the portfolio for us, the sources, any one of those sources can cause disruption,' said D'Amato.
With these federal cuts, the Greater Boston Food Bank is hoping to gather more donations and possibly get assistance from state lawmakers.
If you would like to donate or if you need help getting food, visit: The Greater Boston Food Bank
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
42 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Queens 11th grader detained by ICE, separated from family: Senator
The Brief An 11th-grade student from Grover Cleveland High School in Ridgewood, Queens was detained by ICE during a routine immigration hearing, as reported by New York State Senator Mike Gianaris and School Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos. Senator Gianaris did not disclose the student's name or provide information on their current location or duration of detention, while ICE has not responded to requests for comment. Both Gianaris and Chancellor Aviles-Ramos have called for the student's release. NEW YORK - A New York City public school student was detained by ICE and separated from family during a routine immigration hearing, according to a New York state senator and School Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos. What we know Sen. Mike Gianaris, who represents parts of Queens in the New York State Senate, posted to X that an 11th grader from Grover Cleveland High School in Ridgewood, Queens, was detained while attending a legal hearing to seek asylum. What we don't know Gianaris did not name the student nor provide further details, including where the student was being held and how long they had been detained. What they're saying "Apprehending minors in courthouses and separating them from their families is unacceptable, and I join the school in calling for his release," Gianaris tweeted. Chancellor Aviles-Ramo also responded to FOX 5 NY's request for comment, demanding that ICE release this student. "This young person should be returning home from school today, surrounded by family — not facing detention," she said in a statement. "Our commitment to all students, including our newest New Yorkers, remains unwavering. Our policies have not changed: schools are and will continue to be safe, welcoming spaces for every child. This incident did not happen in a school, and we urge families to keep sending their children to school, where they belong." ICE has not responded to FOX 5 NY's request for comment. This news comes as a Bronx community is rallying for the release of Dylan Lopez Contreras, a 20-year-old Venezuelan national attending Ellis Prep. Academy. Like the Grover Cleveland student, Contreras was detained in May during a routine immigration court hearing. According to Chalkbeat, he "fled his home country last year and turned himself in at the U.S. border in April 2024 through a Biden-era entry program." The city has since filed a motion for his release from Pennsylvania's Moshannon Valley Processing Center, saying he's being held without due process. The Source This article uses statements from Aviles-Ramo and Gianaris along with background reporting from Chalkbeat and more.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Why NYC mayoral candidate Ramos says she endorsed opponent Cuomo
NEW YORK - In a surprising political twist, mayoral candidate and state Senator Jessica Ramos endorsed former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, despite her previous criticisms of him, including his handling of the COVID pandemic and sexual harassment allegations. Cuomo, however, declined to endorse Ramos in return. What they're saying Ramos, who has been critical of Cuomo's record and even compared his mental acuity to that of former President Joe Biden, now sees the race as primarily between two candidates: Cuomo and State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani. LIST: Meet the candidates running for NYC mayor She says that Mamdani does not have the experience to run the city and that Cuomo is better suited to take on President Donald Trump. "Andrew Cuomo and I definitely don't have the same style in governing, and I am hoping that we are focused on tackling the very serious threat of Donald Trump upon our city," she said. Ramos will remain on the ballot, but her endorsement acknowledges the fact that she sees no path to victory. Since entering the race, Ramos' campaign struggled to get off the ground. She never raised enough small-dollar contributions for public matching funds and never gained any meaningful support among the city's labor unions. The Working Families Party also did not initially include her in their slate of candidates, and Ramos made it clear that she felt spurned by the organization. Cuomo brushed off Ramos' past criticisms on Friday, stating that campaign rhetoric often leads to strong statements about opponents. He acknowledged her endorsement but clarified he is not endorsing her in return. "She is endorsing me. I'm not endorsing her," he said. The other side Mamdani said he is disappointed that Ramos chose to endorse Cuomo. "To see him continue to be legitimized is something that will always trouble me, especially given the fact that we have run this campaign," he said. "Many of us as candidates being crystal clear that while each of us thinks we will make the best next mayor of New York, we all share the agreement it should not be Andrew Cuomo." Meanwhile, protesters interrupted a housing rally being held by Mamdani in Lower Manhattan that ended with a man, Raul Rivera, allegedly biting one of the tenant organizers. The NYPD said Rivera was arrested for assault, and the woman who was bitten was treated on the scene. Mamdani and others have called on Cuomo to condemn the violence. What's next New York City's primary elections are on Tuesday, June 24. The Source This article uses candidate statements
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
L'Oreal sees Middle East and Southeast Asia as next growth engines as China slows: ‘Eventually demographics have to win'
For more than a decade, China's aspirational shoppers, spurred by a fast-growing economy and rising wages, snapped up products from cosmetics giants like L'Oreal, Estee Lauder, and Shiseido. Before the COVID pandemic hit, China appeared set to overtake the U.S. as the world's largest makeup market. Those boom times are over, as more Chinese consumers now turn to up-and-coming local brands, like Mao Geping and Florasis. L'Oreal's sales in Mainland China dropped last year, shrinking its overall North Asia sales by around 3%. The Chinese market, the bulk of the firm's North Asia revenue, now accounts for 17% of group sales, down from 23% in 2022. The French firm continues to call China an important market, but has reportedly started cutting its retail workforce due to slower Chinese demand. As China stagnates, L'Oreal is now looking to regions, like the Middle East and Southeast Asia, as a source of growth. SAPMENA—L'Oreal's term for 'South Asia Pacific, Middle East, and North Africa'—will soon 'play a much bigger role' when it comes to beauty, says Vismay Sharma, who oversees the region for the French cosmetics firm. L'Oreal, No. 91 on Fortune's Europe 500, reported sales of 1.1 billion euros ($1.19 billion) for the first quarter of 2025, up 12.2% year-on-year, across SAPMENA and Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). That's still small compared to other regions, sitting far behind Europe, North America and North Asia. But while SAPMENA-SSA only contributed 9.2% of L'Oreal's quarterly revenue, it was the only region to log double-digit growth. SAPMENA covers a huge swathe of the globe, stretching from Morocco all the way down to New Zealand just under 19,000 kilometers away. The region's 35 markets cover 3 billion people, or about 40% of the world's population, yet only accounts for 10% of global beauty sales. 'It has to come together, and eventually demographics have to win,' Sharma says. SAPMENA's quick growth doesn't surprise Sharma. 'The consumers in this part of the world are about 5 years younger than the rest of the world, live in aspirational societies and in economies that are growing fast,' he says. China has proved to be a tricky market for global cosmetics firms post-pandemic. Sluggish China sales have dragged down the financial results of U.S. firm Estee Lauder and Japan's Shiseido. A sluggish economy and stagnant consumption are partly to blame. But there's also new competition. 'C-Beauty' brands are starting to pick up steam among Chinese shoppers, with new brands going viral on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, and other social media platforms. (L'Oreal is paying attention, investing in local Chinese brands like To Summer) Still, Sharma thinks China offers lessons for SAPMENA. Southeast Asia, like China, has highly connected consumers who are used to e-commerce and livestreaming. For example, Sharma notes that over 50% of L'Oreal's business in Vietnam comes from e-commerce. This is less true of the Middle East and North Africa. 'When you look at the ecosystem of beauty over there, you still don't have TikTok Shop. They're still a few years behind platforms like Shopee, like Lazada,' he says. Yet consumers in the Middle East share similar preferences to those in Southeast Asia. 'Expectations for beauty are very similar. We can see aspirations in terms of kind of hair, skin, lips, and eyes,' Sharma says, pointing to a preference for longer black hair as an example. That gives L'Oreal a chance to grow in the region. 'Our ability to create content at scale in the GCC becomes a huge advantage,' Sharma says. This story was originally featured on
